La Fonda was closing, then was rumored to be moving to the Eastern Building in Downtown, but then new details arose shortly before v-day that in fact it would stay in it’s original location with new owners. There’s a new chef, new menu, and, of course, the mariachis have remained. Is it worth checking out? That’s an absolute yes. Go now, call, make a reservation, now! (pics and video after the jump)

I had never been to the La Fonda before it’s make-over. So I am not sure what exactly has been changed. Looks like a new coat of paint, new tables and fancy leather booths and that’s about it as far as I can tell. There is a great lounge to hang out in, grab a margarita or a corona, grab a delicious appetizer and take in the live music.

But for a front row seat to the great music and traditional Mexican dancing, make a reservation and have dinner at this great place. The menu is limited. Only 3 appetizers, 3 soups, 3 salads, 4 entrees and 3 desserts. We start with the Oaxacan Quesadillas ($7). A delectable fried spiced corn masa filled with oaxacan cheese and shredded abodo chicken. Drizzled with poblano cream sauce, chipotle pepper coulis, cabbage escabeche and queso ranchero.

We also order some tortilla soup ($6). It brought me back to a trip I took once to the Yucatan. An authentic tomato based soup, full of smokey flavors, shredded chicken, roasted corn and topped with avocado, crema, cheese and tortilla strips.

For an entree I order Maria-Elena’s Mole Poblano ($20). It’s chef Scott’s mothers special recipe. A large chicken breast, smothered with mole poblano, garnished with red onions and served with spanish rice. The perfect blend of chiles, chocolate, and finely ground nuts collide wonderfully in your mouth.

The house margaritas are very tasty, they use Cuervo 1800. For dessert of course we ordered the Tres Leches Cake ($7). A sponge cake made with whole milk, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. It was top with an orange rum whipped cream. It was heavenly.

This is the kind of place I could come to all the time. The entertainment was great, service impeccable, and the food was outstanding. Now the bad part. Parking sucks. There was zero street parking and the lot next door was nearly full. They really should think about offering valet parking or at least validation in the $7 lot next door.

La Fonda
2501 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(213) 380-5053

Author:Matt Mitchell

A lover of everything LA has to offer, Matt created Dig Lounge to tell his friends about all the fun things to do in the city. Matt has worked in the dot com world since 1996, including some of the top online entertainment companies and digital marketing firms. He currently works as a Digital Producer.

4 Responses to “La Fonda – Mid-City”

Another change is that they have exposed the windows in the lounge that were previously covered up. This opens the lounge up and gives pedestrians or drivers-by a glimpse inside, possibly encouraging more visits. The food sounds fantastic!

Photos on flickr

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